US must consistently support Pakistan, says Gen Petraeus
* US Central Command chief says Kerry-Lugar legislation reflects Washington’s undeterred support for Pakistan
WASHINGTON: Islamabad is effectively tackling militants in the country’s north-west and the US must show consistent support for the key South Asian country that Washington has abandoned in the past, General David Petraeus, chief of the US Central Command said on Sunday.
Speaking at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, he said, “Our task - which US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has reaffirmed during his visit to Pakistan - has to be to show that we are going to be a steadfast partner, that we are not going to abandon the country as we have done twice before. We must provide a substantial amount of assistance.”
The US commander’s remarks referred to American estrangement with Pakistan following the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan in 1989, a decade after the US-led Western allies backed Afghan mujahideen in their fight against Soviet occupation. The US and Pakistan became close allies in the wake of 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, ending a 12-year gap in close military ties.
Petraeus noted a “true change” in Pakistani public opinion last summer, saying that political leaders and even clerics begun to recognise the Pakistani Taliban as a threat to the country, when the Taliban challenged the government’s writ in the Swat valley.
“So this became Pakistan’s war on terror, not Pakistanis fighting America’s war on terror. That is an enormous shift in thinking,” he told the Washington think-tank.
He said Pakistan has had success in clearing Swat and other territories of militants and establishing the government’s writ.
“They cleared the Swat Valley and most of Malakand Division in the NWFP. They have held it,” he said.
For its part, the general said, the US is going to demonstrate its commitment to a sustained partnership with Pakistan.
Economic assistance: “So again, we have got to show that we are in this together, that we are going to provide sustained, substantial commitment. And I think the Kerry-Lugar Bill does that by providing $1.5 billion annually for 5 years in terms of economic assistance. They see this as their fight now, and that is heartening,” he said. “ We need to rebuild partnerships, rebuild trust and confidence, show that we are in this together...” he added. app